The Mavericks are expected to release Murphy on Thursday, reports ESPN Dallas and multiple other sources. He is being let go to make way for guard Derek Fisher, who is supposed to come in and stabilize the Mavericks backcourt (they are in for a shock, but that’s another story).

Murphy was for the Mavs exactly who he is now — a stretch four who doesn’t really make the defense stretch anymore, shooting just 31.4 percent from three this season. He had some good games, he can still get some buckets and plays with some veteran savvy, but he’s not a guy who can make a difference consistently anymore. He could barely get off the Lakers bench last season and this year was seeing his role shrink.

Now it is more than shrunk.

His deal was not guaranteed. Murphy is a free agent now and is free to sign anywhere.

Memphis has moved into the top spot in the poll this week, but notice the top three are teams we kind of expected to be on the second or third tier in the NBA this season. The question remains can they keep it up. Oh, and at the other end the Wizards still suck.

1. Grizzlies (8-1, last week ranked No. 3). You don’t think they’re for real — they beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City and then knocked the Knicks from the ranks of the unbeaten last week. They beat the Heat this season. They have yet to lose at home this season. They are playing well at both ends of the floor. It’s all about as legit as it gets.

2. Knicks (7-1, LW 1). They are 7-1 and its hard to knock much of what they are doing… especially the come from behind win in San Antonio this week (on a Carmelo Anthony off night). You can have concerns about their rebounding and how the Grizzlies picked apart their defense (don’t help off the cutter) but they look for real, too.

3. Clippers (7-2, LW 6). They had an undefeated week, highlighted by a sound beating of the Miami Heat. The question coming into the season was defense and while it is very early the Clips have the second best defense in the league in points per possession, which is a drastic improvement. Keep it up and we’ll have to thrown them in the contenders mix.

4. Spurs (8-2, LW 2). Manu Ginobili looked like his old self against the Nuggets over the weekend and the Spurs need that to continue. After a tough Monday night game against the Clippers they have a six-game road trip.

5. Heat (8-3, LW 4). They have the second best offense statistically in the NBA this young season, but their defense remains 24th in the league. Expect it to improve but it’s something to watch.

6. Thunder (8-3, LW 5). Their offense is destroying teams on the pick-and-roll, with the ball handler shooting 50.9 percent in that situation. Of course, it’s often Russell Westbrook or Kevin Durant so…

7. Bucks (6-2, LW 15). While you weren’t looking they went 3-0 last week. The Pacers are banged up without Danny Granger, the Bulls are banged up without Derrick Rose… could the Bucks win the Central division?

8. Nets (6-2, LW 14). They have won five in a row but if you can do that and not be convincing that was the Nets. Tests against the Lakers and Clippers this week should give us a better read.

9. 76ers (6-4, LW 8). Doug Collins referred to Nick Young as “swaggy.” I didn’t think Collins knew what that meant… actually, he may not. Oh, by the way, no Andrew Bynum until lord knows when so expect more up and down play.

10. Lakers (5-5, LW 11). Their points per 100 differential — the difference between how many points they score and give up per 100 possessions — is fourth best in the NBA. Which suggests they are going to figure this out at some point. Nets and Grizzlies will prove challenges this week.

11. Celtics (6-5, LW 10). They were 3-2 last week, continue to be sluggish, have a defense ranked 19th in the NBA and just are not clicking. Big tests against the Spurs and Thunder this week.

12. Timberwolves (5-4, LW 13). Some tough losses last week, but Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love were on the court at walkthroughs and Minnesota continues to keep its head above water with its stars out. That’s all you can ask.

13. Mavericks (6-5, LW 12). Elton Brand shot 49.4 percent last season, 51.2 percent the season before that, and is at just 35.8 percent this season. He’s still starting but got just 11 minutes last game and Troy Murphy is getting some of his run. Not good.

14. Bulls (5-5, LW 7). They’re a .500 team without Derrick Rose… isn’t that pretty much what we all expected?

15. Hawks (4-4, LW 17). They are playing better than their record indicates and if they can get Josh Smith back near the rim they might be less streaky. That said, soft schedule the next week (Magic, Bobcats, Wizards) should boost the record.

16. Jazz (5-6, LW 19). It took a dramatic triple overtime game, but they got a win on the road in Toronto. Finally this weekend we got to see the Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Al Jefferson front line together… and they were terrible against an awful Wizards team. Don’t give up on it yet, Ty Corbin.

17. Pacers (4-6, LW 16). Their defense is good, but the offense is the issue. The Pacers are shooting 33.2 percent on spot up looks, they lack Danny Granger to create in isolation (due to injury) and Roy Hibbert’s shooting (especially a few steps away from the basket, beyond 5 feet) has fallen off. They are a long way from looking like last year’s playoff team last year.

18. Warriors (5-5, LW 21). They continue to be in the mix (if the playoffs started today they are the seven seed) and if they can do that until Andrew Bogut returns this may well be a playoff team.

19. Nuggets (4-6, LW 9). Their 0-3 week has them pushing the Pacers for the most disappointing team out of the gate this season — and at least Indy has key injuries. Danilo Gallinari has lost his shooting touch and JaVale McGee is still the classic JaVale McGee, not the new and improved version the Nuggets though they were paying for.

20. Blazers (5-5 LW 22). They are the winners of three straight now and part of that is some monster numbers from Nicolas Batum — he had 35 in the overtime win over Houston, then 21 against the Bulls. This is the Batum they need.

21. Rockets (4-6, LW 18). Omer Asik is averaging 10.8 points and 12.8 rebounds a game so far this season. They need him to be more efficient, shoot a higher percentage, but he could be a good balance to the Jeremy Lin/James Harden backcourt.

22. Bobcats (4-4, LW 24). If the playoffs started today they are the seven seed in the East. Give credit to Kemba Walker, who has taken a step forward this season scoring 18.8 points per game, although his 42.3 percent shooting overall and 16.7 percent from three is a concern.

23. Hornets (3-5, LW 20). Three straight losses — mostly because their defense struggles, Anthony Davis or no — and now they get the Knicks Tuesday then four straight on the road as they swing West. It’s going to get tough.

24. Suns (4-7, LW 23). They were 1-3 last week but against a brutal lineup (Nuggets, Bulls, Lakers and Heat). Still, Alvin Gentry is going to shake up the lineup and Marcin Gortat is not happy. It’s going to be a long, hot season in Phoenix.

If you want some bright spots, Jameer Nelson is back and the ball movement looks better. Plus there was the dramatic fourth-quarter comeback against Detroit. It’s not much but at least their losing streak has ended.

26. Raptors (3-7, LW 28). The one bright spot in Toronto last year is they defended, it was something to build on. Early this season they are 26th in the Association in defensive efficiency. Can’t build on that.

27. Pistons (2-9, LW 30). They got two wins last week — and they came over Boston and Philly. So they move up out of the cellar. With the Magic and Raptors on the schedule this week even more wins don’t seem out of the question.

28. Cavaliers (2-8, LW 25). Six straight losses and they have the worst defense in the NBA so far — they are getting destroyed on post ups and in isolation sets. The only bright spot tends to be Kyrie Irving and Jrue Holiday did a number on him Sunday.

29. Kings (2-8, LW 26). Five losses in a row, all by at least 9 points. They had a team-only meeting already (the first of the season in the league, the one category you don’t want to lead in). I’d say its karma for the owners, but that’s not fair to a great fan base.

30. Wizards (0-8, LW 29). This would be the second consecutive year the Wizards started 0-8. Yes, I know, no John Wall and no Nene, but still. Last season they won their ninth game (it would be against Indiana Monday this year) then lost five more. Something to look forward to, Washington.

In his one NBA game for Dallas, Eddy Curry played fairly well, coming off the bench for 16 minutes, scoring 7 points and grabbing 4 boards.

But he is out and Troy Murphy is in.

The Dallas Morning News reports that the Mavericks have reached a one-year deal with Murphy. He spent last season coming off the bench for the Lakers but not giving them much — 16 minutes a night, 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds, he could hit threes still (41.8 percent) but did little else (his rebounding was not special, although in the past he was better at it). He had a PER of 9.06.

But Dallas likes bigs who can stretch the floor, and Murphy can do that better than Curry.

Dallas had to make room on the roster for Murphy so Curry is going to be cut loose, reports Art Garcia of Fox Sports Southwest. It’s been a rough start to the season for him — Curry played fairly well for San Antonio in the preseason but lost out on the numbers game, now this in Dallas.

Not sure any of this makes a big change for the Mavs, but Murphy fills a role for them.

Last Season: Failure. For a team that measures success in terms of championships, especially when it has enough talent on paper to compete at that level, 2012 just wasn’t good enough.

The Lakers struggled with depth and exited the playoffs in the second round for the second straight year, this time to a younger, more athletic, and more explosive Oklahoma City Thunder squad. This came after going a longer-than-planned seven games in the first round against a talented, yet inexperienced Nuggets team that shouldn’t have been able to push L.A. that far.

Key Departures: There were departures, though not many close observers of this Lakers team would choose the word “key” to describe them. Ramon Sessions departed for a bigger role in Charlotte, Matt Barnes switched to the less glamorous locker room down the Staples Center hallway, Josh McRoberts is now in Orlando, and Troy Murphy is just gone.

The Lakers did, of course, lose their All-Star center from a season ago in Andrew Bynum, but they acquired a replacement whom they hope will be one of the keys to returning to championship relevance.

Key Additions: Here’s where things start to get interesting. L.A. helped end our long national Dwightmare by trading for one of the game’s top-five players in Dwight Howard, giving up Bynum in the process. Howard for Bynum on its own is an improvement on paper, but not one large enough to tilt the championship odds immediately in the Lakers’ favor. The acquisition of Steve Nash, however — a two-time MVP, a master conductor of the offense and one of the game’s best shooters — might have done exactly that.

Antawn Jamison was added for some scoring assistance off the bench, and backup two-guard Jodie Meeks should provide some productivity when Kobe Bryant is getting some rest.

Three keys to the Lakers season:

1) Kobe thriving without the ball in his hands: Nash is one of the best point guards in the game, but to do what he does best, he’ll need the ball to open possessions. With Howard and Pau Gasol on the floor at the same time, there should be a number of successful offensive possessions where Bryant doesn’t even see the basketball. Obviously, this will be a major adjustment. Will Bryant choose to adapt to the new offense — one that, much like the Triangle, features motion and multiple options at every turn — or will he resist and revert to old habits of forcing isolation situations with the shot clock winding down, while his teammates stand around and watch? There’s a time for that, certainly, but with all of the weapons on this year’s roster, those situations should be the exception to the rule, rather than the rule itself.

2) Will the bench be enough? A starting five featuring Bryant, Howard, Nash, Gasol, and Metta World Peace should provide plenty of punch on both sides of the ball to win on most nights. But regular season achievements are not why this core was assembled, nor will finishing the regular season with the league’s best record mean anything if the starters are gassed for the playoffs. Bryant and Nash need to save themselves somewhat for the postseason, and limiting their minutes will only be possible if the bench doesn’t blow huge leads which force the team’s veteran stars to sub back in early in the fourth quarters of games which should have already been decided.

3) The correct utilization of Pau Gasol: From a numbers standpoint, Gasol appeared to be every bit as effective as he’d been in his seasons in L.A. that resulted in championships. But to those who watched the majority of the team’s contests, Gasol seemed uncomfortable, under-utilized, and out of place in head coach Mike Brown’s attempt at an offense.

The Lakers need to find a way to maximize Gasol’s talents, and the new Princeton offense that the team is implementing this season should go a long way in doing so. Gasol has great court awareness and is able to make the smart pass, but is also a deft scorer — both on the low block, and from mid-range distance on the perimeter. The team needs to recognize this, and perhaps watch some film of the gold medal game of this past summer’s Olympics to truly see what a force Gasol can be when given the right opportunities.

What Lakers fans should fear: Two words: Mike Brown. L.A.’s head coach used the lockout-shortened season as a constant excuse last year, lamenting the lack of practice time available for him to get his new systems installed. Well, no such excuse will be available this season, as Brown has had all summer and a full training camp to design and implement sets which will maximize his team’s talents.

The team added former NBA head coaches in Eddie Jordan and Bernie Bickerstaff to assist Brown, who has always been described as a defense-first coach. If the defense is top-five in the league, that’s great. But last year’s Lakers were middle-of-the-pack defensively, and the offense never gained the necessary cohesion to contend deep into the postseason. With all of the talent assembled for the 2012-13 run, the blame will undoubtedly fall on Brown’s shoulders if he’s unable to bring this group to the level of champions.

Prediction: Dwight Howard is an upgrade over Andrew Bynum, but the basketball IQ and shooting prowess of Steve Nash is what pushes this team over the top. Anyone predicting anything other than a trip to the Finals for this stacked Lakers squad is being delusional at worst, or contrarian at best. The Thunder return essentially all of their important pieces, and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will be waiting in the East. But the amount of talent in the Lakers’ starting lineup is too much to dismiss, and they should ultimately take home the title if things go anywhere near as planned.

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points.

• Tradition says you say your coach is the best in the league, but Dirk Nowitzki thinks it is Gregg Popovich. He’s right. And I doubt Rick Carlisle has a problem with that.

• Lakers coach Mike Brown says he could have done a better job this season. Honestly, I think he did a solid job considering the top-heavy roster and no training camp. What I will lay at his feet is the rough patches for Pau Gasol — Brown’s offense pushed him out of the paint, asked him to space the floor and made him less effective.